60 seconds of summer
BACK FROM
THE DEAD
A childhood dream
that lead to Virgin

Page 8

AIR Charter Service (ACS) transported six wild black rhinos to Zakouma National
Park in Chad to reintroduce them to the country almost 50 years after they were
wiped out in the central African state by poaching.
The flight supported a project between the governments of South Africa and
Chad, the conservation non-profit African Parks and South African National Parks.
ACS Africa managing director, Lyndee du Toit says: “The rhinos were sedated for
the flight and accompanied by support staff and vets and were closely monitored
throughout the trip to Chad.”
The move was the culmination of two years’ extensive preparation to ensure the
welfare of the animals during the 3,000 mile flight from Port Elizabeth to Zakouma’s Airfield in Chad.

Qantas Freight to link
Darwin with Hong Kong

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antas Freight will launch a seasonal
freighter service between Darwin and
Hong Kong, providing exporters with easier access to Asian markets.
The new services, which will be the only
direct link between the Northern Territory and Hong
Kong, will provide capacity to carry up to 50 tonnes of
fresh produce including chilled meat, seafood, dairy,
fruit and vegetables, as well as general cargo. Starting
in late August, the weekly Boeing 767-300 Freighter
service will depart Darwin on Sunday night and arrive
in Hong Kong six hours later at 11pm local time.
Qantas Freight chief operating officer, Nick McGlynn

SILK WAY AND JAL
TO SHARE CARGO
CAPACITY

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says: “Producers throughout the Northern Territory
often find themselves transporting large volumes of
perishables via road to the east coast to meet a cargo
connection to Asia. This process can take up to five
days, which reduces the shelf life of the product when
it arrives at its destination.”
He adds: “Our direct service is a great alternative for
freight customers in and around Darwin. It also shows
Qantas’s commitment to providing vital connectivity
to Northern Australia. We’d like to acknowledge the
support of Darwin Airport in launching this new
freight service, in collaboration with the Northern
Territory Government.”

SWISS ROLLS OUT
IATA CEIV ACROSS
NETWORK

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ETHIOPIA LEADS
THE WAY WITH
2025 VISION

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60 SECONDS OF
SUMMER WITH
DOMINIC KENNEDY

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aircargoweek.com

Silk Way and JAL to share cargo capacity

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ilk Way West Airlines and JAL Cargo have agreed to a
cargo services cooperation to use capacity on each other’s aircraft.
The co-operation has been described as a “win-win
situation” for both partners, as JAL Cargo stopped full
freighter operations, the use of Silk Way West Airlines’ capacity on
scheduled routes out of Europe via Baku into Japan and vice versa
will create an “interesting option” for both carriers.
Silk Way will increase weekly connections out of its global hub
in Baku from three to four times a weekly operations, and will
boost its weekly operations between Baku and Europe offering
sequenced connections to and from Japan.
Silk Way West Airlines president and chief executive officer,
Wolfgang Meier says: “It perfectly fits into our growth strategy
we are pursuing in reference to our footprint in Japan. Right from
the start of our Japan services more than two years ago, we have
always been eager to increase our exposure.
“The co-operation with JAL CARGO does represent a quantum
leap in our development and I am happy both carriers will benefit
from this agreement.”
JAL Cargo executive officer cargo/mail and board member, Hiroo

Hiroo Iwakoshi (left) shakes hands
with Wolfgang Meier
Iwakoshi says: “Having these kind of positive communications is
pleasing JAL CARGO and we welcome very much more capacities
especially with the use of Silk Way West’s Boeing 747-8F aircraft
within our network.”
Silk Way West Airlines vice president APAC, Nurid Aliyev says:
“As our global hub is perfectly located along the ancient Silk Road
our geographical position is at the crossroads between orient and
occident and Silk Way West Airlines, thus, very much favours this
partnership.”

NCA told to improve operations
Nippon Cargo Airlines has received a Business Improvement Order from the Japanese
government’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism (MLIT) following aircraft
maintenance issues.
The order from the MLIT is due to violations
relating to “inappropriate maintenance for the
aircraft structure”, “the report delay to the MLIT”,

and “organised manipulation and concealment
of corresponding maintenance records”.
In a statement on its website, the Japanese
airline apologises to customers for the inconvenience will the fleet was grounded from 17 June
to 4 July to check aircraft safety. Two aircraft,
registered JA18KZ and JA05KZ are operating
again but most services remain suspended.

Correction: ECS

WE have been asked to clarify a small detail in last week’s Page 1 story: ECS Group moves to its
samba beat.
In the list of represented airlines, Qatar Airways, LATAM and TAP were inadvertently included
while IAG Cargo and TAAG were mistakenly left out. These errors were corrected on ACW online.

ACW REWIND

A SOVIET freighter, which first came to the notice of the West at the 1971 Paris air show, was being
refurbished 35 years later for a post-Soviet career in a very different aviation world.

Volga’s ‘quiet’ IL-76 returns to UK
Vol 9, Issue 28 17 July 2006

VOLGA DNEPR’S super-quiet IL-76TD-90VD
whispered into East Midland Airport on 6 July.
The 50-tonne capacity aircraft arrived empty
from Fujairah to operate an out-bound cargo
charter carrying eight tonnes of outsize cargo
bound for southern Europe.
The new IL-76TD-90VD has upgraded engines that reduce the fuel consumption by 15
percent (sic) and extend the aircraft’s range to
10,200km.
These engines have also enable the aircraft

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ACW 30 july 2018

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to gain clearance to operate globally after the
award of a Chapter 4 noise certificate from
the International Civil Aviation Organization
(IACO).
Volga-Dnepr
said
the
modernised
IL-76 freighter is a unique aircraft type capable of transporting outsize cargo to almost
any country in the world - and it will be able
to perform such operations for at least another
25 years.
Nearly 1,000 of the 1970s-era aircraft were
built. Some 80 IL-76s have been written off in
crashes and other incidents in 40 years.

AirBridgeCargo says “good morning Vietnam”

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irBridgeCargo Airlines has increased its Asian footprint with flights to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a major
manufacturing hotspot in Asia.
The Boeing 747 Freighter flight will link customers
from Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City with other destinations in ABC’s network through its cargo hub in Moscow, Russia
to guarantee 48-hour delivery times including ground handling.
Ho Chi Minh City is ABC’s 12th online destination in Asia and
adds to its international network of more than 30 destinations.
AirBridgeCargo general director, Sergey Lazarev says: “On
the back of economic growth of more than seven per cent and
increasing export volumes, Vietnam seems like the right place to
offer direct freight services to other regions, especially Europe
and North America – something we can offer to the market with a
diversified number of destinations and high level of service quality,
including for special cargoes.”
Tan Son Nhat International Airport vice director, Nguyen
Nam Tien says: “We strongly believe that our co-operation will
strengthen the position of SGN airport, as local freight forwarders
will get access to direct freighter services to Russia, the EU and
North America.

FedEx speeds up services
between Europe and Hanoi

FedEx Express is speeding up services between the European
Union and Vietnam by connecting Hanoi with its hub in Guangzhou, China.
The new route will significantly cut the delivery time between
Europe and Vietnam, and substantially improve transit times for
all inbound flights to Hanoi.
The European Union and Vietnam are finalising a trade and investment agreement, which would deepen trade links between
the two.
The new route will use a Boeing 757 Freighter flying four times
a week to and from Hanoi, with Vietnamese exporters benefiting
from better transit times to major business centres in Asia including China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines in just one
business day.
Shipments to Europe and North America will arrive in two business days, and for all shipments to Hanoi, transit times will be
reduced by one business day.
Shipments from Europe will reach Hanoi in two business days
and shipments from North America arriving in two business days.
FedEx Express has been serving Vietnam since 1994 and was
the first international express transportation company to operate
its own flights into and out of the country.
FedEx Express Europe president and chief executive officer for
TNT, Bert Nappier says: “This new flight demonstrates our continued commitment to enhance our global capabilities to connect
customers and create opportunities for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses large and small to grow.
“With ongoing expansion in the manufacturing and technology industries, rapid growth in e-commerce and an increasing
demand for healthcare services, the enhancements from this
new flight strengthens our capabilities and supports the further
development of trade possibilities between Europe and Vietnam.”

CEVA creates role for Carter
CEVA Logistics has appointed Terry Carter to the newly-created position of senior vice president transportation for contract
logistics. He will be based in the US and report to Brett Bissell,
chief operating officer contract logistics. Carter is charged with
driving operational and commercial best practices and standardisation across CEVA’s Contract Logistics transportation business
worldwide. His work will involve coordinating closely with the
company’s global transportation group to ensure its work fits
seamlessly together with the overall strategy. He will be responsible for defining, standardising and implementing it throughout
CEVA and for any third party contractors working for the business.

“The ability and professional services of AirBridgeCargo Airlines, together with the solid experience of the TIA, will facilitate
market development of freight services in Vietnam and serve as a
solid ground for the Asia market.”
ABC says adding Ho Chi Minh City to its network strengthens
the airline’s presence in Vietnam, as coupled with Hanoi, it will
cover the entire country, providing more options for deliveries for
customers.

DHL fashions deal
with Holt Renfrew

Canadian speciality retailer of luxury brands Holt Renfrew has
picked DHL Global Forwarding as its sole logistics provider for
airfreight and customs brokerage services.
The multi-year deal includes airfreight shipments of designer brand clothing, accessories, beauty products and fragrances
from Europe, the USA and Asia to the retailer’s nine stores in
Canada.
DHL Global Forwarding will provide a dedicated warehouse
with specialised IT infrastructure managed by DHL Supply Chain
in Europe, which is also part of the partnership providing key
warehousing needs and expertise.
DHL Global Forwarding Canada managing director, Renata
Mihich says: “At DHL Global Forwarding we are excited to enter
into a new relationship with Holt Renfrew to provide them with
unparalleled logistics expertise for their air freight and customs
needs.
“They are in a unique position as Canada’s specialty luxury
retailer with close to two centuries of experience in providing
high-end fashion products to Canadians throughout the country.
Coupled with DHL’s unmatched global network, Holt Renfrew is
able to deliver those luxury goods into the hands of consumers
in a more timely and efficient manner.”

Moderate growth in June
International air cargo demand grew in June but at a moderate
pace, in line with underlying trade conditions, the Association of
Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reports.
Freight tonne kilometres (FTK) increased by 3.4 per cent to 6.1
billion, though capacity measured in available FTK grew at a faster
rate, up 6.4 per cent to 9.5 billion, pushing load factors down 1.9
percentage points to 64.5 per cent. In the first six months of the
year, FTK were up 4.9 per cent to 35.2 billion and AFTK increased
by seven per cent to 56.2 billion, with load factors decreasing by
1.2 percentage points to 62.6 per cent. AAPA director general,
Andrew Herdman says: “International air cargo demand registered an encouraging five per cent increase, bolstered by further
expansion in the manufacturing sectors, although growth in new
export orders has slowed in recent months.”

aircargoweek.com

WorldNews
Airfreight throughput at Singapore Changi has
dipped by 0.8 per cent in June to 170,630 tonnes compared to the previous year.
During the first six months of the year, airfreight
throughput grew by 2.7 per cent to 1.04 million
tonnes. Exports grew by five per cent and imports by
three per cent, while transhipments remained “steady”.
Among Changi’s top cargo markets, Japan and India
grew the fastest, with 10 per cent for the former and
seven per cent for the latter.
LOT Polish Airlines added another frequency on its
Singapore-Warsaw service, bringing the total to four
a week. On 2 July, Scoot launched a thrice-weekly service to Nanchang, China from Singapore.
Dubai International Airport handled 214,612 tonnes
of cargo in June, a contraction of 0.5 per cent compared to the same month of 2017. Year-to-date cargo
volumes are down by 2.7 per cent to 1,268,161 tonnes.
Cargo and mail volumes fell by four per cent at Aeroflot in June, with domestic services seeing the largest
drop. In June the airline carried 17,224 tonnes of cargo
and mail, with international cargo and mail down 0.7
per cent to 11,424 tonnes and a fall of 10 per cent to
5,799 tonnes on domestic services. On a year-to-date
basis, cargo and mail is down 2.5 per cent to 101,550
tonnes, with an increase of 1.5 per cent on international services to 68,722 tonnes not being able to make up
for a 10.1 per cent fall to 32,827 tonnes on domestic
routes.
AirAsia X has ordered an additional 34 Airbus
A330neos, with the first aircraft expected to join the
fleet in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The deal for the larger A330-900s was announced
at the Farnborough International Airshow in a deal
signed by AirAsia co-founder and AirAsia X Group
chief executive officer, Kamarudin Meranun; AirAsia X
chairman, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz; and Airbus chief commercial officer, Eric Schulz.
The A330neos will be operated out of AirAsia X’s bases
in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, and will allow the
airline to operate long-haul services to Europe including from Kuala Lumpur to London.
Kuehne + Nagel has been awarded a three year
logistics and supply chain contract with Malaysia’s government-owned oil and gas organisation, Petronas.
The contract was won as part of a competitive tender signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Under the
agreement Kuehne + Nagel will assume end-to-end
integrated supply chain responsibilities for Petronas.
Support includes freight forwarding services, logistics management plus off-site and on-site warehouse
operations. Kuehne + Nagel will utilise Petronas fuel,
lubricant and petrochemical products when performing overland activities in Malaysia.
Jeju Air has taken delivery of its first direct-buy Next
Generation Boeing 737-800 during a ceremony at the
Seattle Delivery Center.
The airline is the first low cost carrier in Korea to own
and operate 737-800 Next Generation, and the delivery marks the first of three it has on order with Boeing.
Jeju Air president and chief executive officer, Seok-Joo
Lee says: “Owning and operating our own airplanes
will further differentiate Jeju Air and our local competitors. We are fully prepared to introduce this new
airplane into our expanding fleet and they will play an
integral role in our growth strategy.”
The Jeju Island, South Korea-based airline serves 40
domestic and international routes with 150 daily
flights.
On 20 June, Delta Air Lines’ first direct flight between
Atlanta and Shanghai took off. The service uses a Boeing 777-200LR.
Atlanta is Delta’s fourth US gateway to Shanghai after
Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles.

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Swiss rolls out IATA CEIV Pharma across entire network

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the few airlines who have earned this recognition.
Bhat says: “Quality, reliability and long-standing experience
underscore all our efforts in shipping products around the globe,
and we are delighted to have been recognised at not just our hub,
but throughout our entire airline and network. Our commitment
to upholding safety standards throughout our global network
offers us opportunities to carry out pharmaceutical shipments
around the world. We are happy to play a valuable role in the
shipment of pharmaceutical and life-saving products every day.”
De Juniac adds: “IATA congratulates Swiss WorldCargo on this
important achievement, which demonstrates their commitment
to the critical safeguarding of the integrity of pharma products.
CEIV Pharma certification ensures these lifesaving products are
handled using the best global standards of safety, security, compliance and efficiency.”

wiss WorldCargo has received International Air
Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence for
Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification
covering the entire airline and organisation.
The certification was awarded following an extensive
review from IATA-recognised independent auditors, and the certification was handed over by IATA’s director general and chief
executive officer, Alexandre de Juniac (pictured left presenting
the certificate to Swiss International Airlines CFO, Michael Niggeman and Swiss Internatinal Airlines head of cargo, Ashwin Bhat).
The airline’s hub in Zurich received CEIV certification in
2016 and is recognised as GDP compliant by Swiss authorities,
Swissmedic. IATA now recognises Swiss WorldCargo’s globally
consistent pharmaceutical handling and processes to safeguard
product integrity and maintain high standards, making it one of

long-duration temperature control for the
transport of highly valuable biopharmaceutical shipments.
United Cargo president, Jan Krems says:
“Along with our relentless focus on speed, reliability and quality, TempControl customers
appreciate our drive to ensure our services
remain relevant and valuable to the evolving
pharmaceutical marketplace.”
“We are excited to offer customers the ability to lease the PharmaPort 360, a smart active
packaging option, for the safe transport of
healthcare material throughout our TempControl network of 68 certified locations.”
Sonoco ThermoSafe Leasing Services director of global business development,
Christopher Day says: “With the reach of
United Cargo’s TempControl network, this
partnership enables the pharmaceutical supply chain to cost-effectively ship across the
Americas, EMEIA and Asia Pacific regions.
Additionally, Sonoco’s 300+ global locations
allow the ThermoSafe division to quickly and
efficiently expand the depot network for leasing PharmaPort units across the globe.”

GEFCO hits the road with GDP certificate
GEFCO Group has been awarded Good Distribution Practice (GDP) compliance certification
by Bureau Veritas for transporting pharmaceuticals across its road network.
The certificate, which is valid for three
years, demonstrates GEFCO’s fulfilment of
the European Commission Guidelines on GDP
of Pharmaceutical Products for human use,
and reflects the company’s quality of service
as well as understanding clients’ challenges
including the traceability of goods to reduce
the risk of counterfeit or falsification.
The external auditor assessed GEFCO’s quality system and its ability to answer customer
requirements in the Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Hungary, Greece, Romania and the Group’s

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ACW 30 july 2018

headquarters in France.
GEFCO head of management system, Alain
Vignon says: “GEFCO has a strong history in
the Life Science and Healthcare sector and
is fully aware of its clients’ stakes. The GDP
compliance is further proof of GEFCO’s commitment to supplying secure and compliant
Life Sciences and Healthcare shipments and
ensuring the integrity of all products.”
The company offers door-to-door, temperature-controlled, integrated logistics,
multimodal and fully compliant solutions for
the life science and healthcare logistics industry, and in 2019 GEFCO will extend the GDP
certification for road activities to other European countries.

Cathay Pacific trials track and trace
Cathay Pacific and Unilode Aviation Solutions
have successfully concluded trials for next generation track and trace services with OnAsset
Intelligence.
The trial to enable end-to-end shipment
tracking with real-time information using Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) beacons in the Cathay
Pacific Cargo Terminal in Hong Kong focused on
the practicality of using wireless devices in the
multi-storey, concrete surroundings of the cargo
terminal.
Results proved successful and have enabled
the airline to prepare for a proof of concept with
actual shipments.
Next-generation track and trace is part of
Cathay Pacific’s digital strategy to help answer
the industry’s needs for greater transparency in
airfreight.
The ambition is to provide customers with
real-time tracking of their cargo shipments with
multi-dimensional readings, and the use of BLE
means data can be captured automatically.
Cathay Pacific general manager cargo service delivery, Frosti Lau says: “It’s important to

explore technologies that work towards the air
freight industry’s aim of offering both customers
and operators transparency and data accuracy
throughout the entire supply chain.”
Unilode chief executive officer, Benoit Dumont says: “Our recent field trial with Cathay
Pacific proves that our approach to digitalisation,
including benefit realisation and technology
choices, is on the right track to provide the industry with sustainable and compliant unit load
device (ULD) tracking data and services. Unilode
is committed to explore other digital initiatives
for Cathay Pacific within 2018.”

Turkish approves RAP containers
Turkish Cargo has approved CSafe Global’s RAP
active container for in-flight use on its fleet.
The RAP utilises CSafe’s proprietary ThermoCor VIP insulation together with a compressor
driven cooling and radiant heating system to
precisely maintain the user-defined payload
temperature set point through the journey.
CSafe Global vice president of global marketing and partner management, Brad Jennings
says: “Turkish Cargo have long been experts
when it comes to transporting temperature-sensitive healthcare products globally. CEIV
accreditation further demonstrates their commitment to providing our mutual life-science
customers with precision cold-chain services

aircargoweek.com

that have been validated to exceptionally high
standards.”
Turkish Airlines senior vice president of cargo
marketing, Fatih Cigal says the RAP will be an
“excellent addition” of active temperature controlled containers, adding: “With volumes of
pharmaceutical shipments growing on a global
scale, active temperature-controlled containers
for larger cargo payloads are required.”
Cigal adds: “Partnership with CSafe Global, the
company that shares the same customer-centric
values and business attitudes as we do, provides
Turkish Cargo with confidence in the preservation and integrity of our shipments, every single
time.”

NEWS

You are my cargo.one and only for live spot rates

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eisure Cargo has joined the cargo.one platform giving
freight forwarders the chance to book capacity at live
spot rates with immediate confirmation.
The innovative user interface of cargo.one provides
important routing information, as well as capacity
dependent live spot rates.
It says visualising hundreds of options per routing means customers can identify the most suitable offers, and all offers are
based on available capacities and live spot rates, which can be
booked directly in real-time.
Leisure Cargo managing director, Dr Wolfram Simon says:
“With the connection to cargo.one as the world’s first platform
that allows booking at dynamic spot rates with immediate confirmation, we now offer our customers even better possibilities to
place bookings efficiently with us.”
cargo.one founder, Moritz Claussen adds: “We are pleased to
have integrated Leisure Cargo, another leading cargo airline,
quickly and easily on the cargo.one platform. This means that not
only will Leisure Cargo customers now benefit from unparalleled
booking options, but Leisure Cargo itself will also have access to
a data-driven and wide-reaching sales channel after only a few

weeks of integration.”
Lufthansa Cargo and cargo.one have also sealed their cooperation to allow the airline to open up a new digital sales channel for
the spot segment.
The partnership between Lufthansa Cargo and cargo.one
enables air freight forwarders to book available capacity for the
airline’s td.Flash and td.Pro completely digitally and in real time

A LOT of quotes and analytics with CHAMP

LOT Cargo has signed for CHAMP Cargosystems’
Cargospot Quotes and DataAnalytics to assist
their sales and revenue team and support expansion on cargo routes.
Cargospot Quotes is a new module, which
streamlines the process of quotes creation,
authorisation, distribution to customers, and
upon acceptance, automated conversion of the
quote into a booking.
DataAnalytics provides Artificial Intelligence

based insights via dashboards as part of a wider
performance report. CHAMP says it leverages the cargo, shipment, and operational data
processed by various services in the CHAMP
portfolio including Cargospot, Traxon CDMP,
Traxon Global Customs and Traxon cargoHUB.
CHAMP Cargosystems vice president of
global sales and marketing, Nicholas Xenocostas says: “Our new wave of performance and
sales-focused products and services will not
only bring more productivity for any airline, but
also streamline the sales process.”
Cargo director at LOT Cargo, Michal Grochowski says: “CHAMP’s solutions are a happy
addition to a moment of modernisation for LOT
Cargo. We are embracing much of the newest
technologies to bring all aspects of our business to the cutting edge. CHAMP powered data
analysis, improved sales processes and internal
communication will bring us there.”

across the entire Lufthansa Cargo network.
The platform available at www.cargo.one offers customers
up-to-date online information, including connections as well as
real-time capacity dependent and dynamic live spot rates being
clearly displayed. For each connection, numerous alternatives are
displayed at a glance.
Lufthansa Cargo chief executive officer and chairman of the
board, Peter Gerber says: “Digitisation allows information to be
distributed around the globe in fractions of a second. This has
given rise to new expectations with which both carriers and
freight forwarders are confronted. We are therefore now offering
our customers the opportunity to exchange prices and capacities
even faster and to book services even easier.”
cargo.one co-founder, Oliver Neumann says: “We are pleased to
partner with Lufthansa Cargo as the leading air cargo airline in
our mission to make air cargo bookable digitally and in real time.
Many solutions on the market promise digital bookability.
“The reality is that in most cases the rates offered do not give
access to capacity. In particular at times of high demand, our
solution offers airfreight forwarders a quick and easy access to
capacities with immediate confirmation at live spot rates.”

Qatar Airways to fly to Gothenburg

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atar Airways will start flying between
Gothenburg and Doha in December,
providing export opportunities for
companies in western Sweden.
The five times a week flights will be
launched on 12 December using a Boeing 787,
providing belly hold cargo capacity for exports
heading to destinations across Asia and Africa.

Gothenburg Landvetter Airport is operated by
Swedavia, and chief executive officer (CEO) of
the company, Jonas Abrahamsson says that Sweden is the largest economy in Scandinavia and
is experiencing some of the strongest growth in
Europe.
He says: “This direct route is the result of successful cooperation, where we, together with the
region, have shown Qatar Airways the potential
in the Western Swedish market. Therefore, it is
with great pleasure that Swedavia and western
Sweden jointly welcome this large Middle East
airline to Gothenburg Landvetter.”
West Sweden Chamber of Commerce CEO,
Johan Trouve adds: “Now it will be far smoother
for global companies in western Sweden to get
to the Middle East and Asia through the 150
destinations that are reached via Qatar Airways’
network.”

Etihad supports Chinese development

FAA threatens shipper with HazMat fine
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is
threatening to hit a Hong Kong-based shipper
with a $160,500 fine for violating hazardous
materials regulations.
The US Department of Transportation’s FAA
alleges that on 3 January 2017, Woodioso Technology knowingly offered a shipment of 30
lithium ion batteries to UPS for shipment by air
from Hong Kong to Louisville, Kentucky. UPS
employees in Louisville discovered the batteries when the shipment arrived on 4 January.
The FAA alleges Woodioso did not keep the
batteries separated to prevent them contacting each other during shipment.
It alleges that the shipments were not

accompanied by a shipper’s declaration of dangerous goods and were not properly classed,
described, packaged, marked, labelled or in the
proper condition for shipment.
Woodioso is also accused of failing to ensure
that each of its employees received required
hazardous materials training, and failed to provide emergency response information with the
shipment.
The Hong Kong company did not respond
to the enforcement letter the FAA sent to the
company in April 2018, and last week the FAA
sent a final notice explaining it has 15 days
after receiving the notice to pay the proposed
civil penalty or request a hearing.

Etihad Aviation Group and Jiangsu Provincial
Overseas Cooperation and Investment Company (JOCIC) have signed a deal to support the
development of logistics between China and
the United Arab Emirates.
The parties will cooperate on a wide range
of areas to support the development of the
China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation
Demonstration Park in Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi
including air logistics, procurement, mutual
promotion on respective premises and digital
channels.
Under the memorandum of understanding,
which was signed during Chinese premier Xi
Jinping’s three-day state visit to the United
Arab Emirates, Etihad will provide the companies investing in the China-UAE Industrial
Park with preferred air transportation and
cargo rates on the routes and services between China and other cities on Etihad Airways
network.

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Etihad and JOCIC will jointly explore marketing opportunities through appropriate
channels, promoting Abu Dhabi’s investment
environment for Chinese companies and its
geographic location supporting China’s Belt
and Road Initiative.
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer, Tony Douglas says: “The partnership will
demonstrate the long-standing commitment
of Etihad, the national carrier of the United
Arab Emirates, to acting as a bridge for economic and cultural exchanges between the
UAE and China, as well as to strengthen the
position of Abu Dhabi as an aviation hub to
connect China with the economies along the
Belt & Road Initiative by leveraging our strong
global network.”
JOCIC chairman, Luo Hua adds: “The China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation
Demonstration Park is a major project under
the Belt and Road Initiative. It represents an important consensus reached by the leadership of
China and the UAE to strengthen international
industrial capacity cooperation between the
two countries.”
Established in July 2017 with a 50-year
agreement signed between Abu Dhabi Ports
and JOCIC, the China-UAE Industrial Park has
achieved investments agreements with 16 Chinese companies totalling $1 billion.

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Ethiopia leads the way with 2025 vision

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n Ethiopia, there is something better than
20-20 vision, and that is Vision 2025, an
ambitious plan to make the country’s flag
carrier the leading aviation group in Africa,
writes Stuart Flitton.
The airline’s freight business is key to this
dream with Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics
Services operating eight all-cargo aircraft to
39 destinations in
Africa, the Gulf, the
Middle East, Asia
and Europe, carrying
an average of 650
tonnes a day with a
further 150 tonnes
being carried as bellyhold to more than
95 airports around
Ward

the world.
In January, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics
began a direct service from Ginbot Haya airport
in the northeastern town of Bahir Dar to Liège in
Belgium, mostly for fresh produce such as flowers and vegetables.

No slowdown for Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines is already Africa’s largest
carrier, with a modern combi fleet.
As well as the agri trade, there are significant
movements of oil well equipment, motor vehicles and electronic equipment.
Some of these areas have been hit by competition from slower but cheaper sea freight with
volumes from Africa as a whole at 51,000 tonnes
in 2015, reducing to 46,000 tonnes last year.

However, there is fight back and Ethiopian
Airlines recently took on its 101st aircraft and
during the rest of this year will add increased
frequency from London Heathrow, as well as
bringing other destinations such as Manchester,
Chicago, Barcelona, and Geneva.

Vision 2025

A major building-block to realising Vision
2025 was the opening of Cargo Terminal II at
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport last year.
Together with the existing terminal, the new
facility provides around one million tonnes of
capacity a year, the largest in Africa.
Terminal II covers 150,000 square metres,
including 40,000 square metres of warehousing, with just over half for dry cargo and the rest
for perishables. There are storage facilities are
various temperatures for goods such as agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, and life science
products.
It is fully automated with the latest technology Elevating Transport Vehicle and has an
apron that can take up to five large aircraft.
The British GSA, the HAE Group has been
working with Ethiopian Airlines since 2006.
“HAE has a strong background in generating
cargo from the US and Europe to a number of
key African destinations which has helped us
make a success of working with such as key airline partner as Ethiopian Airlines,” says HAE UK
& Ireland director, John Ward.
He says that Ethiopian Airlines is cargo
focused, has made significant investments in
fleet and facilities and is domiciled in the heart
of one of the most dynamic parts of Africa.
“CEIV Pharma accreditation is the next steps
in Addis Ababa, and this will help the airline and
its sales partners to take cargo sales to a new
level. It is an exciting time to be part of the Ethi-

6

ACW 30 july 2018

aircargoweek.com

opian Airlines team,” Ward says.
HAE has opened a regional office at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi to
help its clients with imports and export in East
Africa.

Very important region

“East Africa in general is a very important
region for HAE,” Ward says. “In line with our
growth, we have been involved in moving material on charter/part charter and scheduled
services into Djibouti for almost four years, servicing key clients from the Middle East the rest
of our network.”
The company moves more than 500 tonnes
per month between East Africa and the Middle
East, mostly fresh produce.
“This, coupled with our charters into the more
difficult regions in East Africa, give us a very
competitive offering to our network of global
customers,” Ward says.

Handling further growth

The Nairobi-based Siginon logistics group
operates throughout the region with further
Kenyan offices at the important southern port of
Mombasa and Eldoret in the west, as well as Dar
es Salaam in Tanzania and in Kampala, Uganda.
Its other key markets include Rwanda,
Burundi, Somali, Northern DR Congo and southern Sudan.
The Siginon Aviation arm is a ground handler
based at JKIA and Eldoret. Its customers include
Qatar Airways Cargo, Cargolux, Singapore Airlines Cargo and African Express.
The Siginon Group, which has operated for
more than 30 years, won the Transport & Logistics Industry category in the 2018 East African
Business Council Business Excellence Awards.

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07_30 July 2018.indd 1

ACW 30 july 2018

7
24/07/2018 10:19

he pretends to know what he’s talking about

with...

dy
e
n
n
e
ic k
n
i
m
o
d

ACW: You have been involved with cargo at
Virgin Atlantic for a decade. Is there anything left for you to learn?
Kennedy: I am learning a lot from working
with our JV partner Delta and from the great
relationship I have with Shawn Cole, VP of
Delta Cargo.
ACW: Any surprises since you have become
managing director?
Kennedy: One of the best surprises so far has
been to really appreciate how passionate the
team is about delivering great service to our
customers. I’m not saying we’re perfect all the
time but I know we have people across the
business who take it personally when we suffer
a dip in service and who will take responsibility
to get back on track for our customers as
quickly as possible.

ACW: In terms of Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s
business, what are the main opportunities
you see over the next five years?
Kennedy: 2017 was a great year of growth
for our cargo business and we made another
valuable contribution to the airline. There will
also be great opportunities from leveraging
our JV partnership with Delta Cargo, which
we’re very excited about and from growing our
established relationship further with Virgin
Australia.

ACW: Will Brexit produce any problems for
Virgin Atlantic Cargo once the UK has left
the EU? Are you making contingency plans?
Kennedy: Like everyone, we’re waiting to
see the final terms of the deal. Virgin Atlantic
is working closely with the Government to
achieve the best possible outcome for the UK,
the aviation industry and our customers. We’re

Dominic became managing director of
Virgin Atlantic Cargo in August 2017,
having been a key member of the airline’s
cargo leadership team for nine years.
Previously he had responsibility for the
commercial planning of Virgin Atlantic’s
cargo division. Dominic joined Virgin
Atlantic in March 2005.

dominic
kennedy

confident that a new bilateral deal between the
UK and USA to replace existing arrangements
will be agreed in good time before the UK’s
exit from the EU. From a cargo perspective, the
free movement of goods to and from the UK
and EU is clearly essential to support imports
and exports. We need to see an agreement that
ensures goods continue to flow seamlessly
across borders as they do today.
ACW: What’s the most interesting thing
about you that we wouldn’t learn from your
CV alone?
Kennedy: Good question. My wife and I
organised a surprise wedding. I proposed on
Christmas Day and it’s my wife’s birthday in
January. We brought our families and friends
together in Devon for what they thought was
her belated birthday party in early February,
before finding out it was actually our wedding
day.
ACW: We finish the interview and you step
outside the office and find a lottery ticket
that ends up winning £10 million. What
would you do?
Kennedy: I genuinely love my job and I’m very
motivated to continue. So, I’d invest it for my
children… and I’d probably also treat myself to
a new Pinarello road bike.

ACW: Rugby or football?
Kennedy: Football. I support Burnley FC, my
hometown club – and we’ve had a great season!
ACW: What’s the last thing you watched on

TV and why did you choose to watch it?
Kennedy: Paw Patrol with my children before
leaving for work this morning. Unsurprisingly I
had little choice in the matter.

ACW: What did you want to be when you
grew up?
Kennedy: A pilot. One of my relatives was a
pilot with Cathay and from an early age, I was
fascinated by air travel and seeing the world.
So what better way to do this than be a pilot,
even though I didn’t actually fly on a plane until
I was 15 years old.

ACW: What was the last film you saw?
Kennedy: The American on a flight to New York.

ACW: Steak or spaghetti?
Kennedy: It has to be spaghetti due to our family connections in Italy.

ACW: Coke or Pepsi?
Kennedy: Coke … and Diet!

ACW: What terrible movie do you love?
Kennedy: Clear and Present Danger, an American spy thriller with Harrison Ford as acting
deputy director of the CIA.

ACW: What are the best and worst
purchases you’ve ever made?
Kennedy: My best purchase was my Brompton
bike, which I bought about nine years ago. If
I’m in the office, I ride to work every day. It’s a
six-mile journey and I’ve been doing it since I
joined Virgin 13 years ago. The worst? Shares
in Kodak. A joke, obviously.